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And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship… --Acts 2:42 Did you know the Bible tells pastors that we are accountable for the members of our church? It’s true. But it's getting more and more difficult to be accountable for our members when we don't always know who they are or where they are. Now, each pastor has to speak from his own experience, but I can tell you that at our church we have many faithful members. And we also have some unfaithful members. Where it gets more interesting is that we also have a whole other group of people who attend our church every Sunday whom I call the faithful nonmembers. And, in fact, we even have some unfaithful nonmembers in the church. You see the challenge. So since we are to give account before the Lord, let me encourage you to make a commitment to God's church… regardless of where you’ve been serving and worshipping Jesus. Listen! I know there are some churches where no one asks you to be accountable. You just show up or don’t show up and nobody cares. But that’s not the New Testament church Jesus had in mind. Jesus committed himself for you and that commitment took him all the way to Calvary’s cross. Will you pick up your cross and follow him? Follow in New Testament faith and devote yourself to Christ and his fellowship of believers. PICK UP YOUR CROSS AND FOLLOW HIM.

The God Who Saves

by Dr. Paul Chappell

“But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons. And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father. Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.”
Galatians 4:4–7

In his letter to the churches of Galatia, Paul describes two actions by God that are essential to our salvation. First, he reminds them that God sent His Son, then he follows up by pointing out that God also sent His Holy Spirit. The relationship between man and God, broken by Adam’s sin in the Garden of Eden, could not be restored without the work of Christ and the Holy Spirit. God of course has the power to compel men to salvation, but He has chosen instead to invite them to be saved, and then allow them to either respond to the gospel or to reject it.
A. W. Tozer wrote, “Students of the Scriptures are aware that the Old Testament prophets and the writing apostles of New Testament times foresaw and proclaimed God’s coming day of judgment—the consummate settling of accounts between the Sovereign God and His rebellious and sinful creation. How desperately we would like to believe that in the face of coming judgment, all lost men and women will cry out to God, but such will not be the case.”
Salvation is never about us, but rather wholly the work of God. It is not our effort, sincerity, or emotion that determines our salvation, but our faith in what God has already done. It is only when we lay aside our own righteousness that we can claim the righteousness of Jesus Christ applied to our account. It is God alone who saves.
 

Today’s Growth Principle: 

If we lose sight of the gift of God’s salvation, we will not live in gratitude and obedience as we should.